EGAN WOULD BE A PERFECT FIT FOR IABA

ANDY LEE believes the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) would be ‘stupid’ not to recruit Beijing silver medalist Kenny Egan into its High Performance coaching team.

Lee, who recently completed his amateur boxing coaching licence, has also made himself available to assist new head coach Zaur Antia as he attempts to rebuild the High Performance team following a disastrous Rio Olympics. But Lee feels the IABA, who recently released a Strategic Review looking towards Tokyo 2020, must hire Egan (right).

‘I have done my coaching licence but while I am still fighting, I don’t want to get involved in coaching. You have to be dedicated to one or the other,’ Lee explains. ‘But I would like to help Zaur out and support him in any way I can, because he needs support. I think I could be a good mentor to a lot of guys, because I lived the life.

‘But I think Kenny deserves a job. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge.

‘He’s a guy who had his troubles but found the right path. He knows how to produce on the biggest stage. He’s a qualified counsellor now as well. It’s a no-brainer. Kenny Egan should be the number two coach there.’

The high performance squad is entering a period of transition with a number of fighters turning professional with Lee believing some boxers went stale from being in the programme too long.

‘Fighters can only stay amateur for so long before you lose an edge.’